Throne of the North.

Chapter 809 The Initial Establishment of the Knight Academy (Part Twelve)

Castor thus lost his chance to prove himself.

The nobles of the Imperial Knight Academy still held the upper hand over the Northern Territory, preventing the final exchange from continuing, and the Imperial Knight Academy's performance was spreading rapidly.

This was an unequal exchange. The gap between the Imperial Knight Academy and the Northern Knight Academy was too great. It wasn't just between knights, but between academies. For the Imperial Knight Academy, which was little known and even newly established in the North, any victory without a magnificent triumph was a failure.

The most crucial point is that His Majesty the Emperor of Flor agreed to the Northern Baron's request for academic exchange between the two academies.

But who can say for sure? The exchange between the two knight academies is just the surface; beneath lies a political struggle within the entire empire.

From a political perspective, the outcome of the Knights Academy victory or defeat doesn't seem to matter that much anymore.

The nobles of the North were advocating for their own interests. As the Imperial Knight Academy came to a close, letters from the North arrived in the capital, and the voices of the nobles were once again heard in the Emperor's palace.

"The North is dangerous, cold, and cruel. It rejects all sheltered sheep. We do not believe that every knight student at the Imperial Knight Academy is qualified to become an officer on the Northern battlefield."

"The nobles of the empire are loyal to their monarch, and Your Majesty, you must consider whether your soldiers can achieve victory on that cold land."

"We rejoice at the emergence of the First Legion of the Empire, which signifies the Empire's renewed strength. There are no longer any enemies on the continent of Norris that can oppose us. However, the North will not abide by the rules of human civilization."

“During our exchanges with the Knight Academy, we saw a direction that the Imperial Knight Academy was not good at. After all, in the past many years, the Imperial Knight Academy had never considered that their knights should go to the cold land to gain merit and glory.”

"However, the Northern Knights Academy is capable of fighting in the extreme environment of the North."

Ultimately, the interests pursued by the nobles of the North in this series of political struggles were simply to gain a share of the spoils from the First Legion and subsequent imperial armies.

They wanted the emperor's promise that the nobles in the northern lands would gain power in the imperial army.

They compromised with the emergence of the Imperial First Legion and the suppression of their interests in the land within their territory, but in exchange, the Emperor also needed to give them a reasonable explanation.

The emperor was well aware of this intention, and was therefore furious.

The new emperor suddenly realized that the second of his three major decrees, concerning trade permits, was the easiest way he had ever squandered his power.

"Your father spent decades planning to bring forth the Empire's First Legion. It was only after he was crowned the High Pope of Light that you inherited his glory, and that things seemed to go smoothly."

"Without this connection, Your Majesty, it would be an incredibly difficult thing for you to bring forth the First Legion of the Empire."

Grand Duke Meyers said that the answer was now obvious: they had to agree to the terms of the compromise made by the Northern nobles.

Otherwise, the land where the First Legion of the Empire is located will likely be plagued with a host of problems, and all the issues will be attributed to the incompetence of the officers at the Imperial Knight Academy.

The empire's vast territory also meant that the emperor had to take into account the thoughts of all these nobles.

They were no pushovers. The emperor was very suspicious of the voices from members of the royal family, wondering if the Marquis of Hot Springs was using his prestige within the royal family to put pressure on the matter.

And that is political struggle.

"Damn it, the Imperial Knight Academy is a bunch of trash, why did they lose so badly!"

"To think we would lose to a newly established knight academy."

Grand Duke Meyers did not offer much of a response, only saying:
“Your Majesty, you should not have granted Baron Ryan’s request in the first place.”

Now that things have come to this point, the nobles have calmed down. Especially the great nobles, who also have their own advisory groups, can all see that the difference between the two sides actually lies in the difference in their knightly cultivation.

They're both apprentice knights; the difference between them is too small.

However, they had to admit that the Northern Knights Academy, under the tutelage of that baron, displayed remarkable military discipline.

Grand Duke Meyers did not say these things aloud, because almost all the nobles benefited from the exchange at the Knight Academy.

For the knights of the academy, losing is embarrassing, while winning brings rewards.

But for aristocratic rulers, there are benefits to losing, benefits to winning, and benefits to neither winning nor losing.

The capital city is always like this, with nobles fighting over one thing after another.

Upon hearing Archduke Meyers' words, the emperor felt a pang of regret, but quickly shook his head.

He agreed to Baron Ryan's request, intending to resolve the situation in the North. He had not forgotten that his initial prestige came from the war in the North, which led to his final victory and made him the emperor of the empire.

Politically, the nobles in the North were all his allies, and the emperor naturally did not want them to harbor resentment towards him because of this.

The outcome was inevitable; he just didn't like the process.

"Have Grand Duke Russell compile the roster of the First Legion of the Empire. Take a portion of the positions of all mid- to low-ranking officers and give them to the Northern Knights Academy so that they can select outstanding students to come to the capital city in three years for a investiture ceremony."

Grand Duke Meyers bowed in greeting.

"Follow your will."

……

If we were to name the noble who benefited the most from the spoils of the First Legion's exploits, it would undoubtedly be Grand Duke Russell, who never returned to the capital.

He has the qualifications and the confidence to take the most lucrative portion without returning to the capital to engage in political maneuvering.

The empire was the empire of the emperor and four grand dukes.

This statement holds true forever. Grand Duke Russell may not be in the capital, but the capital cannot ignore his presence.

Therefore, after the exchange at the Southern Knights Academy concluded, Ryan immediately offered his congratulations to the Grand Duke.

Of course, it was in the form of letters.

The two sides already had an important, covert collaboration, so their relationship was generally acceptable.

While offering his congratulations, Ryan naturally extended a greeting, informing the Northern Knights Academy of their desire to recruit a group of members from the Grand Duke Russell's family. The two sides also exchanged their respective philosophies regarding the series of military affairs brought about by the emergence of the Imperial First Legion.

Baron Ryan, speaking from his own territory, described to Grand Duke Russell the various fundamental predicaments existing in the North, and offered his opinions on the First Legion's presence and activities in the North.

In Ryan's view, now that the First Legion of the Empire has established a military base, it will be inevitable that they will need to make contact with the cold North.

Taking the initiative is the best choice.

Ryan invited Grand Duke Russell to frequently send troops into the North for scouting operations, and even to unite with the nobles of the North, using scouting operations to enhance their friendship.

The Frozen Territory can certainly provide for this, including but not limited to—northern warhorses adapted to the frigid environment, animal hide cloaks to withstand the harsh cold, powerful weaponry made from northern winds, and excellent instruction in basic northern knowledge. "Lane still has some influence in this northern land."

Upon reading the last words of Baron Ryan's letter, Archduke Russell laughed heartily, showing great approval of this personal baron ally.

"Ryan's ability to develop and expand the baronial territory is beyond doubt. I wish I had a daughter too."

The two nobles who benefited the most from the exchange between the Imperial First Legion and the Knight Academy have reached a cooperation agreement, while the exchange students in the Imperial Capital, who have spent nearly a month there, are about to embark on their journey home.

Brand glanced back at the ancient and majestic imperial capital, then turned, mounted his horse, and headed north.

Tens of thousands of civilians in the capital city watched them depart, their eyes fixed on the glorious splendor above the Northern Knights Academy.

The road was not quiet.

"Lord Brand".

Brand turned around and recognized the other person as a noble representative from the Purple Mountain Province, who was said to be the nobleman's brother.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Zorc?"

"That's right, Mr. Brand, we're about to return to Zishan Province, taking a different route."

"Then on behalf of Lord Ryan, I wish you good luck, and hope that the Purple Mountain Province can get rid of the orc threat as soon as possible."

“On behalf of the Viscount, I thank Baron Ryan for his kindness, but Mr. Brand, I am not here to say goodbye.”

Zorc pointed in the direction of his team.

“Mr. Brand, as you know, we came to the capital city in the name of the Northern Knights Academy. These young knights all carry the title of the Northern Knights Academy, but they are not yet real students there.”

"Our noble lords of Zishan Province hope that you can take them back to that academy to complete the entrance ceremony they have not yet experienced."

"This……"

Brand hesitated, then said:

"The Northern Knights Academy belongs to the Northern Military Council, and this matter still requires Lord Ryan's approval."

“But Lord Brand, they have already obtained the honor and status of the Northern Knights Academy, haven’t they? The capital city has witnessed everything, and our noble lords will discuss this matter with Baron Ryan. I fully believe that Baron Ryan will not refuse the proposal of all the nobles in the Purple Mountain Province.”

Zorc explained confidently, and Brand could only nod and say:

"Then, on behalf of Lord Ryan, I would like to thank the Purple Mountain Province for their help. I believe they will achieve excellent results at the Northern Knight Academy."

Brand agreed, not because of Zorc's words, but because of Ryan's unconditional instruction.

The Northern Knights Academy's journey south was aimed at building their reputation, which could be achieved through various means, including attracting noble knights from other lands.

Zorc's words could be exactly what Ryan needed.

In reality, as they progressed and their respective teams went their separate ways, Brand's team continued to grow stronger.

Clearly, the nobles of Zishan Province were not the only ones with such thoughts. These knights, who had traveled to the capital city under the guise of the Northern Knights Academy, truly lived up to that identity on their return journey.

After crossing the Flying Wing Canyon and entering Zero Crossing City, the most prosperous city in the North Wind, Ryan learned all of this.

"Some officers of the Empire's First Legion will be selected from the Northern Knight Academy. Does this mean they are officially affiliated with the Empire?"

Ryan laughed; the gains from this trip far exceeded his expectations.

If nothing unexpected happens, it won't be long before the other provinces in the six northern provinces that haven't sent anyone to the capital also send knight cadets.

"In this case……"

"The Northern Knights Academy doesn't have enough room."

During this haul, Ryan's first problem turned out to be that the Northern Knights Academy wasn't big enough.

What else is there to say? Just keep expanding, since there's wasteland everywhere there anyway.

……

Imperial capital city.

The city will not become dull just because the academic exchange at the Knight Academy has ended; the prosperous imperial capital will always be bustling.

Heather stood atop the city wall of the imperial capital, looking out at the Cathedral of Light, which was under reconstruction.

"Does the emperor also intend to do what his father did and be crowned the Great Pope of Light?"

Accompanied by knights from the Knight Academy, he replied respectfully:
"Yes, Your Excellency. His Majesty is the Emperor of the Empire and the High Pope of Light. His Majesty avenged his father and is certainly entitled to be crowned with the glory of the previous Emperor."

Heather remained noncommittal; it was none of her business, she was only concerned with her own needs.

"What did those nobles say, whether or not they allowed the army of Chixue Province to remain as it is?"

The knight was in a real bind about this problem and could only say with a bitter expression:

"Your Excellency Heather, the Blazing Snow Province is also part of the Empire. According to His Majesty's decree, the noble army of the Blazing Snow Province also needs to be reorganized."

"They may join the future Second or Third Legion of the Empire."

"However, considering your wishes, His Majesty has proposed to the nobles that those mountain tribes be allowed to maintain a certain size of militia, on the condition that they do not become subjects of any noble."

Heather was still dissatisfied and asked:
"Who will command the army of the Blazing Snow Province?"

"I don't know either. The Second and Third Legions of the Empire have not yet appeared, and the Supreme Commander has not been determined."

"But the commander of the First Legion is Archduke Russell, so the commanders of the subsequent legions must not be of low rank."

This is what troubles Heather: those ancient noble families have a long history and high status, so her threats are probably ineffective.

Heather, this ancient and legendary half-elf, began to feel lost amidst the rapid changes in the empire, unable to comprehend what the world was like.

The noble lords of the past never served the empire in this way.

(End of this chapter)